Cholesterol News and Research

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Cholesterol is a waxy, fat-like substance made in the liver, and found in the blood and in all cells of the body. Cholesterol is important for good health and is needed for making cell walls, tissues, hormones, vitamin D, and bile acid.

SLU researchers aim to tackle diabetes and obesity by capturing benefits of exercise in pill form

With a series of new grants, Saint Louis University researchers will tackle the twin epidemics of diabetes and obesity by tapping into the potential of two nuclear receptors that control muscle metabolism.

24 Mar 2017

Statin drugs may offer treatment option for chronic liver disease

Statin drugs are widely used to manage high cholesterol and reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease. But in a new review of more than 50 studies, researchers cite reductions in liver inflammation and improvements in other related factors as reasons why statins make good candidates for treating chronic liver disease.

23 Mar 2017

Researchers unravel how drug interacts with ribosome to halt protein production

The discovery of a chemical compound that halts the production of a small set of proteins while leaving general protein production untouched suggests a new drug search strategy: Find compounds that target undesired proteins before they are even made.

23 Mar 2017

New review addresses mysteries behind ‘good’ HDL cholesterol metabolism

A new review addresses the mysteries behind "good" HDL cholesterol and why boosting its levels does not necessarily provide protection from cardiovascular risk for patients. It appears that augmenting the function of HDL cholesterol, rather than its concentration, is key.

22 Mar 2017

Tsimane indigenous South Americans have lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population yet studied

The Tsimane people – a forager-horticulturalist population of the Bolivian Amazon – have the lowest reported levels of vascular ageing for any population, with coronary atherosclerosis (hardening of the arteries) being five times less common than in the US, according to a study published in The Lancet and being presented at the American College of Cardiology conference.

21 Mar 2017

New gene-silencing drugs cut cholesterol levels by half in early research

The first in a new class of gene-silencing drugs, known as inclisiran, has been shown to halve cholesterol levels in patients at risk of cardiovascular disease.

21 Mar 2017

Researchers develop new way of visualizing distribution of cholesterol in cells, tissues

Researchers from UCLA and the University of Western Australia have developed a new way of visualizing the distribution of cholesterol in cells and tissues.

21 Mar 2017

Novel synthetic HDL-C injection shows no benefit on arterial plaques

Injection of a novel form of synthetic high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), or good cholesterol, into the arteries of patients who had recently had a heart attack did not reduce the volume of fatty deposits, or plaque, in the arteries, compared with placebo injections, according to research presented at the American College of Cardiology's 66th Annual Scientific Session.

20 Mar 2017

Online behavioral intervention reduces systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg, study finds

In the first randomized, double-blinded trial of an online behavioral intervention for high blood pressure, participants in web-based lifestyle counseling reduced their systolic blood pressure (the higher number in a blood-pressure reading) by 10 mmHg, compared with a 6 mmHg reduction for those taking part in a web-based control intervention, a statistically significant difference.

20 Mar 2017

Drosophila models help illuminate molecular mechanisms underlying nephrotic syndrome

The majority of genes associated with nephrotic syndrome (NS) in humans also play pivotal roles in Drosophila renal function, a conservation of function across species that validates transgenic flies as ideal pre-clinical models to improve understanding of human disease, a Children's National Health System research team reports in a recent issue of Human Molecular Genetics.

17 Mar 2017

High levels of two biomarkers can predict risk for adverse cardiac events, research suggests

New research suggests that GlycA, a newly identified blood marker, and C-reactive protein both independently predict major adverse cardiac events, including heart failure and death. Patients who have high levels of both biomarkers are at especially high risk.

17 Mar 2017

New class of cholesterol-lowering drug alongside statins can reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases

A new class of cholesterol-lowering drug has been found to help patients cut their risk of cardiovascular disease, stroke and heart attack.

17 Mar 2017

Continuation of statins may improve survival following heart surgery, research shows

Patients on statins should not stop taking the cholesterol-lowering medication before heart surgery—even on the day of surgery, according to an article posted online today in The Annals of Thoracic Surgery.

16 Mar 2017

Cholesterol-lowering statins linked to increased risk of diabetes in older women

Older Australian women taking cholesterol-lowering statins face a significantly increased risk of developing diabetes, according to a University of Queensland study.

15 Mar 2017

Research shows pNaKtide can attenuate development of NAFLD and atherosclerosis

Building on their recent research focusing on a peptide, pNaKtide, designed to block the oxidant amplifying function of the cellular sodium-potassium pump, researchers at Marshall University Joan C. Edwards School of Medicine have successfully demonstrated that pNaKtide, can attenuate the development of experimental nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) and atherosclerosis.

15 Mar 2017

Study: Patients with elevated cholesterol levels face greater risk for rotator cuff surgery failure

Patients with higher cholesterol levels face a significantly greater risk for failure of minimally invasive (arthroscopic) rotator cuff surgery, according to a new study to be presented on Friday, March 17, at the 2017 Annual Meeting of the American Academy of Orthopaedic Surgeons.

14 Mar 2017

New approach shows promise to prevent, treat cholesterol gallstone disease

According to current estimates, 20 to 25 million Americans have or will develop gallstones, representing almost 15% of adults. Although only a small percentage of individuals with gallstones develop symptoms, more than 700,000 individuals annually undergo surgical gallbladder removal and many more take medications to manage the condition or undergo stone-dissolving procedures.

13 Mar 2017

Severe hypoglycemic episode in people with diabetes may increase risk for heart disease, death

A single instance of blood sugar falling so low as to require an emergency department visit was associated with nearly double the risk of cardiovascular disease or death, finds a new Johns Hopkins Bloomberg School of Public Health study of older adults with type 2 diabetes.

10 Mar 2017

New test measures blood concentrations of plasma ceramides to predict risk for heart attacks, strokes

A new type of blood test may help physicians identify which patients with and without evidence of coronary blockages are at risk for heart attacks and strokes.

10 Mar 2017

Greater time spent in physical activities linked to lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors

Greater time spent in physical activities with moderate-high intensity and less time devoted to sedentary activities, such as watching television, are associated with a lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors including obesity, diabetes and certain individual components of metabolic syndrome, according to the first results published from the multicentric study PREDIMED-PLUS.

9 Mar 2017

Cholesterol News and Research

Further Reading

SLU researchers aim to tackle diabetes and obesity by capturing benefits of exercise in pill form

Statin drugs may offer treatment option for chronic liver disease

Researchers unravel how drug interacts with ribosome to halt protein production

New review addresses mysteries behind ‘good’ HDL cholesterol metabolism

Tsimane indigenous South Americans have lowest prevalence of coronary atherosclerosis of any population yet studied

New gene-silencing drugs cut cholesterol levels by half in early research

Researchers develop new way of visualizing distribution of cholesterol in cells, tissues

Novel synthetic HDL-C injection shows no benefit on arterial plaques

Online behavioral intervention reduces systolic blood pressure by 10 mmHg, study finds

Drosophila models help illuminate molecular mechanisms underlying nephrotic syndrome

High levels of two biomarkers can predict risk for adverse cardiac events, research suggests

New class of cholesterol-lowering drug alongside statins can reduce risk of cardiovascular diseases

Continuation of statins may improve survival following heart surgery, research shows

Cholesterol-lowering statins linked to increased risk of diabetes in older women

Research shows pNaKtide can attenuate development of NAFLD and atherosclerosis

Study: Patients with elevated cholesterol levels face greater risk for rotator cuff surgery failure

New approach shows promise to prevent, treat cholesterol gallstone disease

Severe hypoglycemic episode in people with diabetes may increase risk for heart disease, death

New test measures blood concentrations of plasma ceramides to predict risk for heart attacks, strokes

Greater time spent in physical activities linked to lower presence of cardiometabolic risk factors

Designing fluidic architecture for scalable diagnostic platforms

Evaluating new approaches for rare disease genomics

Expanding access to NMR with the Fourier 80 Duo

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